This invention relates generally to ship anchors and, more particularly, to an anchoring apparatus having means directing collapsible flukes in a sea bed engaging position and providing for movement of the flukes to a release position. The flukes are then automatically reset.
It is well known that anchoring apparatus have been provided to aid in maintaining a ship in a substantially stationary position in the water. This was accomplished by the fact that an anchor had sufficient weight to drag and/or engage the sea bed.
Later, anchors were developed to do away with a substantial amount of weight in favor of flukes which would penetrate the sea bed. Along this line of development, it became desirable to have flukes which were collapsible or otherwise movable for release from the sea bed. However, most of these anchors required elaborate means for setting the flukes in the sea bed and upon release, the flukes had to be reset in some manner for reuse.
The foregoing illustrates limitations of the known prior art. Thus, it is apparent that it would be disadvantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations as set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is to provide an anchoring apparatus which is automatic and simplified for release from and engagement with the sea bed.